Comey’s book won’t hurt Trump

Former FBI director James Comey has been a thorn in side of US President Donald Trump for over a year now. Trump fired him for getting nosey over the White House’s alleged links to Russia but Comey has come back guns blazing in his new book. The former FBI chief ’s claims in A Higher Loyalty spills more dirt on the president and his controversial working style, but it is unlikely to harm the presidency that is already damaged in the eyes of the liberals and some media houses. This is an alternative presidency, which swings both ways, and has strayed clear of policy. Trump’s moods are all that matters and his unconventional methods of hiring and firing, followed by early-morning tweets have kept both his friends and foes on their toes. President Trump has perfected the art of staying in the limelight. It burnishes his image among the loyalists who gladly accept the unacceptable from their commander-in-chief without question or dissent. Comey was removed by Trump last year when he allegedly did not go slow on the Russia investigation. This made him a hero in the eyes of media houses, who did not favour Trump and made their dislike known in their campaign against him. The same news organisations blamed Comey for ‘‘damaging’’ Hillary Clinton’s campaign in July 2016 when he said she had been “extremely careless” with her emails. The Hillary camp was left hunkering in the political bunker, and she has not forgiven him for his leaked letters to Congress. A sore loser, she maintains that the letters were the reason that Trump defeated her and surprised the world.

Comey calls the president morally weak and criticises him for his treatment of women in the book. Trump hit back and termed the former FBI chief a ‘‘slimeball’’. He said it was an honour firing Comey. Just the reaction the lawyer-turned-writer sought to sell his book. He’s been promoting it non-stop before its release on Tuesday. Like Michael Wolff ’s Fire and Fury, a fictional account of the early days of the presidency, Comey’s riding on Trump’s hot controversial streak. There’s money to be made by playing victim and telling us what we already know about the president. In this book, Comey is keen to paint himself as a liberal hero, which he is not. But we wish him luck.